Notes

Kohunlich is located on a hill corozos, which is a palm very characteristic of southern Yucatan Peninsula, Belize and Guatemala's Petén.

The site name comes precisely from this geographic feature, and the Kohunlich derives from the English word Cohoon ridge, which means a hill of corozos.

Kohunlich covers an area of 8.5km and it’s surrounded by low forest, and is composed of several residential architectural assemblies.

To access the site Kohunlich should take the Federal Highway 186 towards Escárcega and upon reaching the Town of Francisco Villa takes the diversion of 9km until reach to the site.

Site History

Kohunlich is not simply a mixture of various influences, but shows a unique style, in both architecture and iconography way, and as well as in the production of ceramics. Kohunlich flourished from 300 to 1200 A.D. is the most studied archaeological site in southern Quintana Roo and is the site that has the largest amount of open areas and enabled for the visit; however, there are about 200 structures and mounds remain covered by jungle waiting to be explored.

The main interest lies in the variety of ceremonial and residential structures, some of which may have functioned as family neighborhoods or groups of high social status and give us an idea of the various activities that were possibly carried out by its inhabitants.

Kohunlich consists of the residential complex called the Acropolis and the Great basement, which is particularly interesting for the succession of stages represented in the building; you can also watch an interesting set of residential buildings with benches, niches and various elements associated with everyday life.

The Stela Plaza is a large space in which four civil and religious type buildings were constructed: Contrails, Stelae Palace, the bleachers and the Temple of the King, were the buildings where public or administrative activities probably took place.

Behind the Stela Plaza is what might be called the most important building symbolic and ritual Kohunlich, is the Temple of the Masks, which was built in the V century and is named because of the anthropomorphic masks located in the sides of the building, these masks are adorned with nose rings, ear rings, etc., which seem to be an allegory of the cosmos and at the same time, represent the power of the ruling caste with their rulers with attributes of the gods. In addition, it has become one of the most characteristic images of the State of Quintana Roo. Lower ranking but no less interesting is the Plaza Merwin, buildings and structures that have perhaps had an administrative role in this Plaza, we can see excellent examples of the architectural style of the site. Even simpler are the platforms or "tracks" of the residential complex located west of the Plaza Merwin, lots of waste recovered in the excavation of these buildings suggest that the inhabitants were engaged in making stone tools craftsmen.

Were also excavated a number of residential buildings that may have been occupied by the ruling elite of the site, the most important are those corresponding to the sets known as the 27 Steps and Pixa'an the last of which is still in process exploration. In both sets of buildings has been excavated a complex of palaces and residential structures within which various personages of high rank were buried.

Kohunlich certainly proves to be a visit to a city that gives us the opportunity to observe different architectural and different stages marked in the Peten style buildings like the Temple of the Masks styles, columns of the walls that resemble the neighboring region of Rio Bec and can be seen in a number of buildings and a complex system of channeling rainwater in artificial construction of Aguada, also structures with unique character, such as the Acropolis, with it’s different construction phases, and the art of masonry finishes palaces, all these distinctive features complement the architectural Kohunlich count you can see here.